Two computer science professors at Washington University have produced a USB ultrasound probe which is compatible with Windows Mobile smartphones. The project, funded by Microsoft, has developed and optimized probe that uses less power, and is enhanced for data transfer rates on cellphones. The devices could be especially useful in on-the-go situations — for ambulances, emergencies, and for use by traveling medical staff. The makers also foresee that the device could postively effect medical practice in the developing world, where equipment and doctors can be scarce, and a small, but cellphone access is ever increasingly prevalent. We don’t know when these might be commercially available, but they are hoping to sell them for around $500 — significantly cheaper than many portable ultrasounds, which can cost almost $30,000.Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
USB ultrasound device coming to a Windows Mobile phone near you?
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009Two computer science professors at Washington University have produced a USB ultrasound probe which is compatible with Windows Mobile smartphones. The project, funded by Microsoft, has developed and optimized probe that uses less power, and is enhanced for data transfer rates on cellphones. The devices could be especially useful in on-the-go situations — for ambulances, emergencies, and for use by traveling medical staff. The makers also foresee that the device could postively effect medical practice in the developing world, where equipment and doctors can be scarce, and a small, but cellphone access is ever increasingly prevalent. We don’t know when these might be commercially available, but they are hoping to sell them for around $500 — significantly cheaper than many portable ultrasounds, which can cost almost $30,000.MetroPCS sees huge influx of customers, intros GroupLINE
Friday, April 10th, 2009
We’d already heard that right about now was a great time to be in the prepaid cell business, and that’s being proven quite definitively by MetroPCS’ Q1 subscriber results. We’re told that the firm saw a net addition of 684,000 customers in the first three months of 2009, representing an astounding 51 percent increase year-over-year. While celebrating mightily, the company also saw fit to introduce a “one-call communication solution targeted at families and friends who are trying to save money in today’s economy by ‘cutting the cord’ and replacing their landline telephones with wireless phones.” Said “landline replacer” is called GroupLINE, which enables up to five MetroPCS Family Plan subscribers to receive calls on a shared GroupLINE number while still maintaining their individual mobile numbers — all for just $5 per month. So, anyone looking to tighten the belt by going prepaid? Your options are getting good.
[Via GigaOM]
Apple patents movement-based gestures for shaking, rattling, and rolling with your portable devices
Friday, April 3rd, 2009
We wouldn’t recommend speculating too much here, but a patent Apple filed back in October 2007 has surfaced, describing a “movement-based interfaces for personal media device.” If that’s not enough of an explanation, in a nutshell it’s for interacting with a device by tilting and shaking. Chances are this is just for accelerometer-based commands like switching to landscape, steering virtual go-carts, and undo — but hey, if the gang at Cupertino devise a way to control an iPhone entirely by waggle, we’ll be more than happy to witness a demonstration.
[Via Unwired View]
Inventec’s mirasol-equipped V112 smartphone goes on display
Friday, April 3rd, 2009
We couldn’t get the thing to turn on — prototype buffoonery, zapped battery, or a classic case of trade show jitters, we figure — but Inventec’s curious V112 was on display inside Qualcomm’s booth at CTIA. Why Qualcomm, you ask? Well, Qualcomm owns Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, which has been pushing its mirasol display tech for several years now; the main draw is that it’s super high-contrast which eliminates the need for a backlight in many situations where a traditional LCD would need a little help, and the WinMo-powered V112 uses a small mirasol strip as a secondary display surrounded by nav controls. Even though we weren’t getting any Windows Mobile action, we did manage to engage the mirasol display (also known as “the cool part”) where we saw an example of what the V112 might be able to do without turning on the battery-destroying LCD up top: show basic status information and the current time. It’s a good idea; we’re not sure that the V112’s implementation is perfect since there’s zero tactility to the d-pad, but you’ve got to start somewhere, and mirasol could use as many commercial implementations as it can get.
Gallery: Hands-on with Inventec’s Mirasol-equipped V112 smartphone
AT&T retracts new terms of service, apologizes
Friday, April 3rd, 2009
Looks like the uproar over AT&T’s recently-tweaked wireless terms of service banning video streaming and p2p activity caused some hasty rethinking in Dallas — the company just sent us this statement:
The language added on March 30 to AT&T’s wireless data service Terms and Conditions was done in error. It was brought to our attention and we have since removed it. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Well, that settles that, at least for now — high fives all around, Internet friends.
Debunk: Jailbroken apps on a non-jailbroken iPhone? Not quite.
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009
You may have seen some reports today about a new app from Ripdev called InstallerApp, which some people have mistakenly been covering as a desktop client that lets you install Cydia and Installer apps without having to jailbreak your iPhone using something like PwnageTool. Just to set the record straight, here’s the deal: InstallerApp is a kind of jailbreaking tool (let’s call it “jailbreaking lite”) coupled with a separate application management client for your computer. From what we can tell, the first thing it does is jailbreak your device (or, if you’re already jailbroken, installs some additional software so it can talk to your phone). In no way is it allowing you to install non-Apple-approved apps onto a non-jailbroken phone: it’s tweaking your underlying system to allow for those apps to run, and giving you an iTunes replacement to add and delete programs on your device. Keep in mind, RipDev is charging $7 for this, which isn’t a bundle, but not free either… unlike PwnageTool and QuickPwn, which essentially do the same thing (minus the desktop client). We’re not saying it’s not a useful app — it might be to some — it just isn’t the “get into jail free” solution that you may have heard it is. And now you know… which is half the battle.
Zer01 Mobile’s a nomad, will roam with a variety of carriers
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009
It won’t make much of a difference to the end user — all they’ll care is that they’re getting unlimited voice and data for under $70 a month — but it turns out that Zer01 Mobile’s upcoming VoIP-based service won’t be using AT&T alone to provide service. Instead, it’ll have service agreements in place with a number of GSM carriers — nationals and regionals alike, we’d imagine — in an effort to keep its costs low. Because all voice calls will travel over VoIP instead of GSM or UMTS proper, it seems like things could get a little dicey if you find yourself on a crappy EDGE (or worse yet, GPRS) connection, but hey, just keep telling yourself: “$69.95.”
Motorola cancels Alexander smartphone?
Monday, March 23rd, 2009
So much for the “last stand,” huh? After getting pictured way back in August of last year, Motorola has quietly let CES, Mobile World Congress and (almost) CTIA slip by with nary a peep on why this thing has yet to ship. We’d initially heard that Q4 2008 was the window, and then Q1 2009; just last week, we heard that Moto could be shooting out ten new smartphones in the latter half of this year, but evidently this one won’t be included. According to the always questionable DigiTimes, Motorola has inexplicably “canceled the planned launch of the Alexander handset and also reduced the number of markets in which it will sell its A3100 smartphone,” though it gave no reason as to why. Is it sad that we’re not at all saddened? Onward and upward, we say.
[Via WMPowerUser]
AT&T counting on new iPhone this summer; carrier apps to figure prominently?
Monday, March 23rd, 2009
Rumor has it that AT&T’s gearing up for yet another door-busting, riot-inducing summer filled with new iPhone hardware, which would certainly jibe with everything we’ve heard in the past few months (never mind the fact that June is officially Apple’s iPhone release cycle these days, and indeed, AT&T’s apparently saying that the June cycle is becoming “a tradition”). That’s not terribly interesting at this point — what is interesting, though, is how AT&T plans to play it. Apparently, the carrier wants to ramp up its — ah, how should we put this in a politically correct way — “integration” with Apple’s hardware, including a U-verse app that we’re guessing will approximate the functionality to be offered by Verizon’s FiOS. What really has us worried is not so much the U-verse app specifically, but the possibility that AT&T’s sick and tired of having its crapware left out of its highest-profile device, leading to non-removable garbage like Cellular Video on a future iPhone’s home screen. It’s still a bit early to sound the alarm there, but you know, we’re paranoid types around here. It’s said the new device will be faster, though the exact meaning of that is a little unclear; the iPhone 3G’s chipset is already 7.2Mbps-capable, so we’re not sure if the carrier is simply referring to its ongoing infrastructure upgrades. Finally, it’s said that a $99 netbook running something other than Windows (don’t suppose that’d be Linux?) will be launching this summer, following on the 3G-enabled Aspire One that hit Radio Shack late last year. Heads up, though, AT&T: give us an iPhone with your Mobile Email app on the home screen, and let’s just say we can’t be held accountable for our actions afterwards. We know you wouldn’t do that, but just sayin’.
SocialScope for BlackBerry impressions (and invites!)
Monday, March 23rd, 2009
Twitter clients for the iPhone are pretty much a dime a dozen, but unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the BlackBerry platform. Things are looking up for the Waterloo faithful, though, with a number of clients on the horizon — and one of the best we’ve seen thus far is SocialScope from the guys at Ubiquitous Systems. The app has been around in the form of an invite-only alpha for a few months now, and with more recent releases the guns are coming out and it’s really starting to develop into a fairly advanced app. Read on for more impressions and an exclusive hands-on with the latest build — and oh, yeah, we’ve got loads of invites for you certifiable addicts as well!